March 20, 2010
OMAHA, Neb. - Becoming just the fifth freshman in Purdue wrestling history to earn All-America honors, Boilermaker rookie Cashé Quiroga wrapped up his outstanding performance at the 2010 NCAA Championships, held at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., in sixth place at 125 pounds. Quiroga guided the Boilermakers to a 28th-place team finish with 20.5 points.
The Boilermakers' finish is their third straight in the top-30 in the nation, finishing 20th with 14.5 points in 2008 and 23rd with 24.5 points in 2009. Quiroga is just the third true freshman in school history to earn All-America honors, joining Mark Matovina in 1942 and Waldermar Van Cott in 1947, while Jason Silverstein and current volunteer assistant coach Chris Fleeger were redshirt freshman All-Americans in 1999 and 2002, respectively, at 125 pounds. One of just eight freshmen in the nation, just three true freshmen, to earn national honors this year, Quiroga is one of 27 All-Americans from the Big Ten Conference and one of four from the state of Indiana.
Quiroga had a tough one in his session opener, falling to second-seeded 2009 NCAA Champion Troy Nickerson of Cornell by pin in 4:01. The Boilermaker rookie looked great out of the gate, hitting a quick single-leg shot, but Nickerson was able to create a scramble out of the situation and come up on top for the early 2-0 lead. From there, Nickerson went to work on top, turning Quiroga for three and nearly sticking him in the first, but Quiroga battled hard off his back and lasted through the period. After winning the flip, Quiroga deferred to the third period and Nickerson unexpectedly chose the top position, where he went back to work with a bar series. Quiroga nearly escaped, but was taken to his back again, where Nickerson was able to get the fall midway through the second.
Quiroga headed to the fifth-place match to face sixth-seeded Zachary Sanders for the third time this season after Sanders lost his consolation semifinal bout to top-seeded Angel Escobedo of Indiana, 10-3. Quiroga never got the motor going against Sanders, surrendering a pair of first period takedowns en route to a 6-2 loss.
The Boilermaker rookie finishes with one of the most outstanding freshman seasons in school history, going 28-15 overall and piling up 124 takedowns. The first freshman in school history to crack the 100-takedown mark, his 2009-10 total is good for the sixth-highest mark in Purdue's single-season history, and he's already just 66 takedowns shy of a spot on the Boilermakers' career top-20 list. He held a national ranking at 125 pounds through most of the second half of the season, finishing 4-4 in Big Ten Duals and placing sixth at the conference championships. Quiroga placed in a pair of open tournaments during the season, taking fourth at the Eastern Michigan Open and second at the Cleveland State Open, and nearly climbed the podium at the 2009 Midlands Championships, reaching the Round of 12.
The University of Iowa won its third consecutive team championship, besting the field by more than 30 points, while Cornell University was a distant second. Final team scores and placing will be available after the completion of tonight's championship round, which will air live on ESPN.
The Boilermaker coaching staff will announce its season award winners in the coming weeks, which will be revealed at the postseason team banquet and later posted at PurdueSports.com.